WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?

This is the third segment on ignored portions of the New Testament

The restoration of the church will surely come from a sort of new monasticism which has in common with the old only the uncompromising attitude of a life lived according to the Sermon on the Mount in the following of Christ. I believe it is now time to call people to this.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

I want to continue the discussion of the previous segment with the question, “What is a disciple?” The concept of discipleship is almost totally misunderstood today.

For the most part people think that being a disciple is learning a series of Bible verses and doctrines and being able to regurgitate those to another learner in the future. This concept of learning reflects the Greek orientation in our thinking. Greek thinking, in the time that the New Testament documents were being written was based on theory, reason, concepts and oratory, little attention was paid to practical skills. This concept of discipleship crept into the church during the third century and unfortunately has stayed with it ever sense, except in rare instances.

SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE part 2

“…for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till us all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, 15  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - 16  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”                                                                             (Ephesians 4:12-16)

The writer of Hebrews said, “..exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”  (3:13)

Again the obvious question arises. How can we do this in the  present situation and under the present system? The answer is that we can’t without radical change in both church structure and our lifestyle.